1980, Tiradentes, MG, Brazil. Lives and works in São Paulo, SP, and Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil.
Rocha Pitta’s diverse practice is connected to a deep fascination with the subtle transformations of the world around him—the slow erosion and alteration of desert terrain, the descent of a fog and the fluctuations of underwater formations. His installations, videos, and paintings have captured the vibrancy of a living planet by training the viewer’s eye on the slow transformation of materials, the physical progressions of tiny particles of a land, and the sudden shifts in the weather.
He was awarded the Marcantonio Vilaça Prize in Brazil (2005) and the Open Your Mind Prize in Switzerland (2009). In 2011 he was short-listed for the EFG Bank & ArtNexus Acquisition Award Nomination. In 2014 he was an artist-in-residence at Circulating AiR, organized by Stiftelsen 3,14 in Norway.
The artist held solo exhibitions at Museu de Arte da Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2002); Arts Initiative Tokyo, Japan (2008); Meyer Riegger, Karlsruhe, Germany (2009); Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2010); Solo Projects, ARCOmadrid, Spain (2011); Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011); Andersen’s Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark (2012); Chiesa di Santa Maria Incoronata and the Gluck50 Gallery, both in Milan, Italy (2013); Galeria Millan, São Paulo, Brazil (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018); and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, USA (2017), among others.
Notable group exhibitions include: J’en Rêve at Fondation Cartier pour L’art Contemporain, Paris, France (2005); A Time Frame at PS1-MoMa, New York, USA (2006); Nova Arte Nova at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2008); The Travelling Show, Galería Fundación/Colección Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico (2009); 30th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil; The Garden of Forking Paths Sculpture Project, Migros Museum Für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich, Switzerland (2012); and the 5th and 9th editions of the Mercosul Biennial, Porto Alegre, Brazil (2005 and 2013).
Pitta’s work is featured in public collections including the MoMA PS1, New York, USA; Maison Européene de la Photographie, Paris, France; Hara Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Patricia Pelphs de Cisneros, New York, USA; Colección Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico; Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Brazil; and MoCP - Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, USA, among others.